Bottle sealing



March 24, 1925. 1,531,061

D. ANDERSON BOTTLE SEALING Filed Sept. 6, 1923 Patented I Mar. 24, I925.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID ANDERSON, 0']? LONDON, ENGLAND.

nor'rnn ammo.

Application med September 6, '1928. Serial ll'o, 661,883.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID ANnnnsoN,

a subject of the King of Great Britain, re-

in order to perfect or improve the seal, but

all cork disks used for the purpose above mentioned are far from being air tight or gas tight inasmuch as there is always present in cork-wood imperfections of various kinds, such as natural pores, pin holes, interstices, cracks, crevices, or notches, hence it has been necessary to supplement the' cork disks by the use of layers of prepared paper or the like.

Ordinarily the cork disks are prepared by stamping them out from sheets of corkwood of the desired thickness and it has been found that a very large percentage of the disks thus made are filled to a greater or less extent with pores, pin holes, cracks, crevices, etc., which renders them unfit for sealing purposes, and such disks are separated from the better grades and ground for use in various ways, such for instances, as the manufacture of linoleum, or in the manu facture of composition sealing disks.

Nothing better than cork has yet been obtained for sealing purposes in the crown disks now so extensively used in the sealing of bottles containing soft drinks, beer, and other liquids, as the cork is somewhat elastic and for the most part air tight and gas tight. g

It is the object of my invention to so treat the cork-wood that its imperfections may be eliminated. This I do by filling or closing the pin holes and other imperfections by small grains or particles of natural cork. To do this I may combine granulated cork with a suitable binder or cementing agent to make the granules on their outer surfaces somewhat adhesive so that they will tend to adhere to each other to a certain extent and when the composition in this condition is placed in the pin holes or 1mperfections, these lmperfections Wlll be completely closed and the cork granules will be firmly held therein.

There are several ways of carrying out my invention. According pin holes and other imperfections in cork disks are filled or closed by particles of cork in the manner above specified. As is well known to those in this art, cork in disk form is placed on the market in large quantities and supplied to manufacturers of bottle stoppers. A large percentage ofsuch disks have various imperfections in them and are unsuitable for sealing purposes and are rejected by stopper makers, and are re-' jected by the makers of such disks-and are not furnished to the stopper makers. Furthermore, the disks that are supplied to the many instances im stopper makers are in perfect. Large quantities of disks which have not been rejected by the disk makers are received by the stopper makers and must be separated and regraded from the disks that are more perfect.

The filling material which I employ is made by combining natural cork in a granulated form with a suitable binder. This binder may consist of albumin combined with glycerine or China wood oil, or corn oil, but other similar or suitable binders may be used. Resinous binders are, however, not preferred and finely powdered or pulverized cork is preferably not employed, the particles of cork usually being of such size as to be quite distinct in the mixture. The ingredients should be such as to not in any way impair the contents of the container.

When the composition is applied to cork in disk form, the disks in their natural state may be passed through suitable machinery to separate or spread them in suitable condition for treatment and the composition is then applied to the disks in such manner as to close the openings or imperfections therein. The machinery can, of course, be such as to carry the disks thus treated to suitable apparatus for drying and setting the fillings.

Another way of eliminating the imperfections in the cork disks is to ap ly the filling material to sheets of cork of disk thickness by spreading the composition either on one side or on both sides if desired. After the application of suitable fections in the sheet will have been closed or removed. and the surplus material may be wiped off and then after being dried the to one method, the

ressure the imper-' disks maybe cut from the sheet in the usual is found that in this way all the objectionable pin holes and other imperfections are completely closed andthat practically all disks cut from the sheet are suitable for use.

Experience has demonstrated that cork disks with the imperfections removed in the manner above described are completely air tight and gas tight. It is not absoiutely necessary that paraffin paper or the like be interposed between the cork disks and the metal cap although it may be used if desired.

The same methods may, of course, be appiied to gasketsor rings used for sealing Even when the disks are made from compositions containing cork and a binder, pin holes or other imperfections are often found in such disks, and my invention may be applied to disks made of such cork compositions.

in the accompanying drawings I have iiiastrated diagrammatically how my invention may be carried out in a practical way.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a bottle seaiing stopper of well known constructio and extensively used.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a cork disk showing various imperfections the ein.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of such a disk showing more clearly certain imperfections that are often found in such disks, and illustrating how these imperfections may. be eliminated by closing the in holes and other openings therein. In igure 3 the filling material is shown as being spread on opposite sides of the disk.

igure 4 indicates the appearance of a disk after the surplus material has been removed.

Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating diagrammatically a sheet of cork with disks scored out therein.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of a sheet of cork indicating the disks with in holes or imperfections therein and also s ows how a layer of the composition of ground cork or granular cork and a binder may be spread on the sheet to fill or close the imperfections.

Inasmuch as the disks when completed are made solely from cork with a very small amount of binder, they are for practical purposes the same as natural corlsthrough out and free from imperfections.

One of the preferred ways of carrying out the invention is to use cork for filling purposes in a granular form with the par ticles separately impregnated or coated with the adhesive or binder so that when a' layer of the material is spread on the disks or on the sheet of cork and pressure is applied in some suitable way, the particles of cork with a small amount of adhesive thereon will be sunk into the holes or crevices and close them.

Inasmuch as the pin holes, crevices, and other imperfections in the cork are often of different sizes, in order to most efficiently close all such openings it may be desirable to treat the cork with the composition in several steps, the larger openings being closed by granulated cork of comparatively large size, while the smaller openings may be progressively filled or closed by granulated cork of smaller size conforming to the sizes of the openings.

In any case the sealing disk when complebed, while having its cavities and escape openings filled with granulated cork and a binder has the large area on both sides of the disk uncovered or exposed. I do not contemplate leaving a layer of granulated cork and abinder on either the upper or the lower side of the disk.

I claim as my invention:

1. A sealing disk of natural cork, having its cavities and escape openings of relatively small area filled with granulatedcork and a binder while the relatively large area of natural cork on each side of the disk is uncovered or exposed.

2. A sealing disk of natural cork, having its cavities and escape openings of relatively small area in the body and edge of the disk filled with granulated cork and a binder, while the relatively large area of natural cork on each side of the disk is uncovered or exposed.

3. he method of making sealing disks which consists in filling the cavities and escape openings of relatively small area inv the disks with granulated cork and a binder and in leaving the relatively large area of natural cork on each side of the disk uncovered or exposed.

4. The method of making sealing disks which consists in fillin the cavities and escape openings of relatively small area, in the disk with individual granules of natural upper an lower sides of the disk uncovered or exposed.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

DAVID ANDERSON.

cork and a binder and in leaving the rela- I tively lar e area of natural cork on the' 

